Miguel Oliveira hails ‘super important’ 2024 factory Aprilia MotoGP boost

At Friday evening’s Trackhouse team launch in Los Angeles, it was confirmed that Miguel Oliveira will be promoted to 2024 factory-spec Aprilia machinery in MotoGP this season.

Oliveira and team-mate Raul Fernandez raced year-old RS-GPs under the CryptoDATA RNF banner last season, the first year of Aprilia’s satellite project.

But the sudden exit of the former team owners, and transfer of grid places to the American-based Trackhouse company, will coincide with increased Aprilia technical support.

The headline news is that five-time KTM race winner Oliveira will get his wish and join Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales in running 2024 factory-spec RS-GPs.

“The full factory spec will be at the beginning for Miguel and then quite soon also for Raul [Fernandez],” Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola said at the launch.

“From the performance point of view, it will be very important. We saw with other manufacturers how important it is.”

Rivola added that more factory Aprilia personnel will also be present in the Trackhouse box and pledged: “I will be the happiest guy to see Trackhouse in front because it will be an additional stimulation for Maverick and Aleix to perform well.”

Oliveira, who took a best race result of fourth during an injury-interrupted debut season on the Aprilia, hailed the move as “super important, because finally I have the opportunity to ride the factory bike.

“For us it’s the way to go in terms of developing the material and getting to the top of the field. I’m just super motivated to start the season. I don’t know exactly what we can expect because although it’s not new everything kind of feels new.

“So we will have to be on our toes, focussed, to get the best job possible.”

FIRST LOOK: Miguel Oliveira, Raul Fernandez unveil Trackhouse Aprilia’s 2024 MotoGP livery

Although the team’s ownership has changed, highlighted by a striking stars-and-stripes livery, most of the personnel from Wilco Zeelenberg downwards appear unchanged.

As such, team-mate Raul Fernandez considers 2024 as the first grand prix season in which he has stayed for a second year at the ‘same team’.

“Podiums or the top five again would be really good for us but at the moment I don’t want to think too much about that,” Fernandez said.

“It will be a really important year for me, my third in MotoGP, second in Aprilia and with the same team. Never in my life have I done that [stayed at the same team]. I think it will be a nice year…”

Aprilia won two Grand Prix races last season with Espargaro, making it the second most successful manufacturer for GP wins behind the dominant 17 wins by Ducati. The other victory was by Honda, courtesy of Alex Rins at COTA.